Right now, a loved one is recovering from a double mastectomy. She is facing the word no one ever wants to hear--cancer. It really puts life into perspective. Running, training, racing... these are such silly little aspects of a life. I have struggled with guilt lately over training while someone I care about struggles with life and death health issues.
Cancer really makes you look at the big picture of life. I think we, as runners, have to be careful that we pour as much into loving and serving others as we pour into running. If I spend five hours a week running, have I spent at least that amount investing in others? It is clear which is the more important aspect of living.
The biggest struggle I've faced in the last twenty-four hours is trying to decide if it is worth it (and even appropriate) to get up at 3:00 a.m. and drive to the Viola Valley Half Marathon on Saturday morning. It is ridiculous, really. If that silly little decision is the biggest struggle I've got, I should definitely count my blessings.
It is so hard to watch someone you care about suffer. As runners, we suffer, but it is by choice. We choose to pay money and go run 13 or 26 miles and suffer blisters and muscle cramps and fatigue. If it hurts too much, we can always drop out. Others don't have that option.
If I do run tomorrow, it will be with GRATITUDE for my own health, endurance, and strength. For 13.1 miles, I will meditate on how thankful I am to even be able to run.
So undeservingly blessed,
Runnermom
Friday, May 17, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Identity Crisis
What is your running identity?
Do you jog a few times a week for fitness and mental health, but not train for races?
Are you a fast-and-short-race kind of runner? Do you blow away the competition in your age group in local 5K's? Maybe do Crossfit Endurance for training?
Are you a middle-distance runner of 8K's and 10K's?
Do you believe a half-marathon is "half the pain, but all of the fun"?
Are you a Marathon Maniac? Do you love those painful twenty-milers as you are building up to 26.2? Are you a fan of the big-city Rock-N-Roll marathon series?
Or do you take the "road less traveled," seeking out different events like trail races and ultras?
I ask because I'm struggling to figure out what kind of runner I am.
In the early months, I was a 5K-a-month kind of gal. It was intoxicating to watch those minutes and seconds melt away from my time each month. I had a yearlong string of PR's. Then I ran my first 10K. And. Came. In. Last. DLF--Dead Last Finisher. My time wasn't awful--1:03, it was just a tiny, tiny race. I did win my age group, however. :-)
A month later, I ventured into my first half marathon. That distance has stuck with me as my most often raced, including three on trails. Most of the time, I figure I can run 3.1 miles in my neighborhood for FREE, so I rarely pay to enter one. I think 10K's keep you honest, and I've only run one or two well--it seems that those have been some of the toughest ones over the years. Then there's the marathon. I ran my first one in 2009--badly. I finished on pure grit and determination on an unseasonably HOT Tennessee day. I ran another in February 2010 well (for me). I shaved 35 minutes off the second time around. I ran a 3rd just for fun without much training. I took a year off and then trained HARD for my 4th one--got a 9-minute PR and negative splits. Number 5 was the toughest road course (Flying Monkey in Nashville) and the one where I sprained my ankle in mile 10 and limped/jogged slowly to the finish (and it was still my 3rd fastest!). Number 6 was on a trail, and it was just ridiculous. Mud, rain, no traction, undertrained. It was tougher than them all added together and TWO HOURS slower than my slowest road marathon.
Then there was the one ultramarathon 10-hour endurance event Run Under the Stars. I swore "never again" afterwards, but here it is in just five weeks , and I seem to be registered.
Now that I'm recovered from that trail debacle, I'm trying to figure out where to go from here. I'm intrigued by ultramarathoning. I'm totally in love with trail running. But I have unmet 5K and half marathon goals and an amazing opportunity to work with a coach starting in July.
There are so many race experiences I want to have, but funds and time and training do not allow for them all. I need to DECIDE and COMMIT to what kind of runner I want to be.
Part of me wants to just focus on running faster for a little while. And part of me wants to just forget about times and paces and just RUN on roads and trails and really, really far.
Yep. It's an identity crisis. (Not to be confused with the midlife crisis I survived--just barely--last year.)
Do you jog a few times a week for fitness and mental health, but not train for races?
Are you a fast-and-short-race kind of runner? Do you blow away the competition in your age group in local 5K's? Maybe do Crossfit Endurance for training?
Are you a middle-distance runner of 8K's and 10K's?
Do you believe a half-marathon is "half the pain, but all of the fun"?
Are you a Marathon Maniac? Do you love those painful twenty-milers as you are building up to 26.2? Are you a fan of the big-city Rock-N-Roll marathon series?
Or do you take the "road less traveled," seeking out different events like trail races and ultras?
I ask because I'm struggling to figure out what kind of runner I am.
In the early months, I was a 5K-a-month kind of gal. It was intoxicating to watch those minutes and seconds melt away from my time each month. I had a yearlong string of PR's. Then I ran my first 10K. And. Came. In. Last. DLF--Dead Last Finisher. My time wasn't awful--1:03, it was just a tiny, tiny race. I did win my age group, however. :-)
A month later, I ventured into my first half marathon. That distance has stuck with me as my most often raced, including three on trails. Most of the time, I figure I can run 3.1 miles in my neighborhood for FREE, so I rarely pay to enter one. I think 10K's keep you honest, and I've only run one or two well--it seems that those have been some of the toughest ones over the years. Then there's the marathon. I ran my first one in 2009--badly. I finished on pure grit and determination on an unseasonably HOT Tennessee day. I ran another in February 2010 well (for me). I shaved 35 minutes off the second time around. I ran a 3rd just for fun without much training. I took a year off and then trained HARD for my 4th one--got a 9-minute PR and negative splits. Number 5 was the toughest road course (Flying Monkey in Nashville) and the one where I sprained my ankle in mile 10 and limped/jogged slowly to the finish (and it was still my 3rd fastest!). Number 6 was on a trail, and it was just ridiculous. Mud, rain, no traction, undertrained. It was tougher than them all added together and TWO HOURS slower than my slowest road marathon.
Then there was the one ultramarathon 10-hour endurance event Run Under the Stars. I swore "never again" afterwards, but here it is in just five weeks , and I seem to be registered.
Now that I'm recovered from that trail debacle, I'm trying to figure out where to go from here. I'm intrigued by ultramarathoning. I'm totally in love with trail running. But I have unmet 5K and half marathon goals and an amazing opportunity to work with a coach starting in July.
There are so many race experiences I want to have, but funds and time and training do not allow for them all. I need to DECIDE and COMMIT to what kind of runner I want to be.
Part of me wants to just focus on running faster for a little while. And part of me wants to just forget about times and paces and just RUN on roads and trails and really, really far.
Yep. It's an identity crisis. (Not to be confused with the midlife crisis I survived--just barely--last year.)
Monday, April 29, 2013
Mom Vs. Trail: Backside Trail Marathon Race Report
My sixth marathon and first trail marathon was quite eventful. It was like a trip to Crazytown from the start.
I was filled with dread and fear all week preceding the race. On Saturday morning as I was packing, I was not in an excited mood, I was very much solemn. I knew I was unprepared and was in for a difficult race, I just didn't know HOW difficult it would actually turn out to be. My longest trail run had been 11.6 miles plus about 3 on the road. My longest road run had been 17 miles. Both were about 3 hours long. I figured I could just hike after I exceeded my training point.
My friend Donna and I drove to Louisville. The first challenge was finding packet pick up. We drove around and around, fighting heavy Saturday-night mall traffic. It was as if we couldn't get anywhere. We finally got our packets. We had dinner at Logan's near by and were off to find the hotel.
The Quality Inn had ok reviews, but when we got there, it was immediately evident that this was a really rough part of town. There were people on the street corner in front of the hotel, and they were not waiting for a bus. One guy just paced up and down the sidewalk. There was a wrecked car parked out front. We kept hearing sirens in the 10 minutes we spent there. The back parking lot adjoined the parking lot of an empty, abandoned, broken down hotel. Most of the rooms were outside entrance. There were rooms padlocked, rooms standing wide open. We finally found ours in the corner behind the stairwell. That was disconcerting. It just felt like a really dangerous location for our room. We put the key in, and the door handle was loose and flimsy. We walked in and only one lamp worked. I had a sick feeling. We had already checked in and my credit card had been charged. We had no other reservation on a busy night in Louisville. But we knew we could not stay here. It was the kind of place where people cook meth.
Thank goodness, the clerk let us check right back out and refunded my credit card. I started searching for another hotel, and we found refuge at the Southern Baptist Seminary's historic Legacy Hotel. Here is a pic of the abandoned hotel adjoining ours and the seminary hotel for comparison:
Finally, about 9:00 p.m., we got settled into our room. It rained all night long, unfortunately. We were up at 5:30 a.m., quickly got ready, and checked back out. Here we are at the start: (I am on the left.)
I went with my Run Under the Stars 10-hour endurance event shirt and Land Between the Lakes trail race hat, which were both great conversation starters. My biggest issue was shoes---my Brooks Cascadias tend to hurt my feet after about 8 miles. I had purchased another pair of trail shoes--Merrell Mix Master Glide, but hadn't gotten to try them out on any runs. I decided to stick with the Cascadias on the wet trails. I packed the Merrells and some road shoes in my drop bag so I'd have an option to change into if needed after the first 13.1 mile loop.
The race started with about 100 people. Only 34 people finished the full marathon. Most people chose to only do one loop of the course. (Smart people!)
The first 5 miles were not bad at all. It had stopped raining, and the mud was still pretty hard packed. Around mile 6, however, we had a DOWNPOUR. Suddenly, there was standing water on the already saturated trails. I had never trained in these conditions! I had difficulty getting my footing on the trail. Walking/hiking was tough, running was nearly impossible!
I was filled with dread and fear all week preceding the race. On Saturday morning as I was packing, I was not in an excited mood, I was very much solemn. I knew I was unprepared and was in for a difficult race, I just didn't know HOW difficult it would actually turn out to be. My longest trail run had been 11.6 miles plus about 3 on the road. My longest road run had been 17 miles. Both were about 3 hours long. I figured I could just hike after I exceeded my training point.
My friend Donna and I drove to Louisville. The first challenge was finding packet pick up. We drove around and around, fighting heavy Saturday-night mall traffic. It was as if we couldn't get anywhere. We finally got our packets. We had dinner at Logan's near by and were off to find the hotel.
The Quality Inn had ok reviews, but when we got there, it was immediately evident that this was a really rough part of town. There were people on the street corner in front of the hotel, and they were not waiting for a bus. One guy just paced up and down the sidewalk. There was a wrecked car parked out front. We kept hearing sirens in the 10 minutes we spent there. The back parking lot adjoined the parking lot of an empty, abandoned, broken down hotel. Most of the rooms were outside entrance. There were rooms padlocked, rooms standing wide open. We finally found ours in the corner behind the stairwell. That was disconcerting. It just felt like a really dangerous location for our room. We put the key in, and the door handle was loose and flimsy. We walked in and only one lamp worked. I had a sick feeling. We had already checked in and my credit card had been charged. We had no other reservation on a busy night in Louisville. But we knew we could not stay here. It was the kind of place where people cook meth.
Thank goodness, the clerk let us check right back out and refunded my credit card. I started searching for another hotel, and we found refuge at the Southern Baptist Seminary's historic Legacy Hotel. Here is a pic of the abandoned hotel adjoining ours and the seminary hotel for comparison:
Finally, about 9:00 p.m., we got settled into our room. It rained all night long, unfortunately. We were up at 5:30 a.m., quickly got ready, and checked back out. Here we are at the start: (I am on the left.)
I went with my Run Under the Stars 10-hour endurance event shirt and Land Between the Lakes trail race hat, which were both great conversation starters. My biggest issue was shoes---my Brooks Cascadias tend to hurt my feet after about 8 miles. I had purchased another pair of trail shoes--Merrell Mix Master Glide, but hadn't gotten to try them out on any runs. I decided to stick with the Cascadias on the wet trails. I packed the Merrells and some road shoes in my drop bag so I'd have an option to change into if needed after the first 13.1 mile loop.
The race started with about 100 people. Only 34 people finished the full marathon. Most people chose to only do one loop of the course. (Smart people!)
The first 5 miles were not bad at all. It had stopped raining, and the mud was still pretty hard packed. Around mile 6, however, we had a DOWNPOUR. Suddenly, there was standing water on the already saturated trails. I had never trained in these conditions! I had difficulty getting my footing on the trail. Walking/hiking was tough, running was nearly impossible!
In the race I learned there are four types of mud: nice hard-packed mud; deep, sucking mud that tries to steal your shoes; caking mud that comes along for the ride; and slippery, slimy mud that is like trying to SKATE across a sheet of ice.
At times, I would be trying to just walk, and my left foot (trail was slanted to the left) would just slide down the embankment with every step. On a few muddy, slippery climbs, I used trees to hoist myself up a hill. One time, no tree was available. I tried and tried to walk up this hill, but kept sliding back to the bottom. So I CRAWLED. Once in mile 15, the mud sucked the shoe right off of my foot.
For the first 11 miles, all of this seemed like a fun adventure. Then around 11 miles, we came to an area where if you slipped to the left, you'd fall about 10 feet into a fast-moving river. That was the first time I felt fear for my safety. After 11 miles, the trail conditions detiorated considerably. By 13, I wasn't really having a lot of fun. I could have dropped to the half distance, but I was determined. At 13.1, I stopped at the aid station with my drop bag. The AWESOME volunteers got me a chair, filled my water bottles, and helped me change shoes and socks. They really took care of me. I was exhausted and not thinking clearly. They even switched my chip to my new shoes. These were all trail runners themselves. This race had the BEST RACE VOLUNTEERS I've ever experienced. At every aid station, they chatted with me about my race shirt and hat and were just amazingly helpful and encouraging.
Let me just say--- EXHAUSTED at 13.1 is not a good way to start the second half of a marathon. At that point, I was over three hours--- every step was a step beyond my training and my current fitness.
I had a second wind around 15, but it was short lived. I think it was because I finally turned on my music at mile 14. I was alone for the whole second13.1, so I was singing at the top of my lungs: "I am Ti-tan-i-uuummm!" and "Don't stop be-liev-iiiiiiing!" It was both a bit scary, but nice to be alone over 3 hours on an unfamiliar trail.
My body held up fairly well. Left hip flexor stopped cooperating in the second half. Both feet and ankles were in great pain from 21 on. But my knees and hammies and quads all felt great! My endurance struggled though. Around mile 16, I told an aid station volunteer, "The running has left the building." I planned to hike the rest. But, I found new energy for a while around mile 20 and then again in miles 23-26.
I am not an inexperienced trail runner, but I sure felt like one in the Backside Trail Marathon. My legs tired from struggling with the hills and the mud by mile 10. The trail was marked fairly well, but I ran alone for the majority of 26 miles. About every 10 minutes, I'd realize I hadn't seen a trail marking in a while. Then I'd panic briefly until I came upon one. Once, I backtracked to the last pink marking to make sure I hadn't veered off course. I was so paranoid about getting lost. Then in mile 25, I ACTUALLY GOT LOST. The pink tape had blown away, and I missed a left turn. Luckily, I had the forethought to put the race director's cell number in my phone. I called him, and he jumped in his car and found me on the road (there were short sections on the road), and got me back on the trail. I had gone about .3 or .4 out of the way. I ended the race with 26.96!
BY FAR THE TOUGHEST THING I'VE EVER DONE!!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Murray Half Marathon Race Report: A Pretty Good Day
Short version:
The race was good and a little disappointing at the same time. 2:10:36, my 5th fastest of 16 half marathons.
Long version:
In October, I ran a half in 2:05, and I was hoping to AT LEAST get sub 2:10 in the Murray Half Marathon on April 13.
Training- I've been running fairly consistently since the end of January, though not following a training plan. I've been winging it as I came back from the ankle sprain in November and honestly enjoying this low-key approach to running. My mileage had been fairly low (15-20 miles per week) until the last 3 weeks, when I jumped to 25+ miles per week.
Why the jump? Because I was so disgusted with the way I blew up at the LBL trail 23K, I signed up for a consolation trail marathon at the end of this month with only four weeks to train. (Call me crazy. If nothing else, it lit a fire under my training!) I don't know if I'm trying to punish my body for the terrible race or just looking for some trail redemption. To compensate, two weeks ago I jumped from a longest run/hike of 14 miles to 17 miles. It went well, and I ran fast (for me). Too fast. The next week, fatigue lingered in my legs. Then last weekend, I did double long runs--a two-hour trail run on Friday and then a three-hour road/trail run on Saturday. I hit a wall in that 2nd one at mile 11 and had to walk the last 2 or 3 miles. Ouch. One week prior to this half marathon, the double left me with tired legs on top of tired legs. I haven't felt fresh legs in weeks. I think I've forgotten what they feel like. I ran only six miles this week and taught my one HIIT class in hopes of a bit of recovery before race day.
The race- For ONCE in my life, I actually ran smart. I didn't go out too fast, and I ran consistently. I listened to my body and let it dictate the pace, not what I thought I was supposed to run. I was *hoping* about 9:40 or 9:45 would feel right, or even 9:20 for a nice surprise.
Not today. I warmed up for one gentle mile, and it was time to start. I reigned in adrenaline and ran at a moderatly uncomfortable pace for that first mile-- 9:55 pace. Then the next two were 9:53 and 9:51. I always know by mile four how the day is going to go. By mile 4, I could tell that around 9:55 was the pace my body wanted to run for the day. So I ran that. In fact, my miles were all between 9:50 and 10:03 for the first 12 miles of the race. My legs just felt too heavy and fatigued to go any faster. There was no fresh. At times, it was a bit of a struggle to keep up a 9:55ish pace.
The middle miles are always the toughest for me, and today my miles 8, 9, and 10 were the slowest at 10:01, 10:02, and 10:03. I was sad to see I was getting slower. After mile 10, I knew there was just 5K left. I decided I had a little fight left in me and pushed to get back under 10-minute miles. I was relieved to see 9:56 and 9:52 for miles 11 and 12. I knew I was almost done, so I pushed to 9:38 for mile 13 (yay for small victories!), and about a 9:18 pace for the UPHILL finish of .17 (by my watch). I missed my sub-2:10 goal by 37 seconds but finished strong. It's hard to call that a bad day.
One goal for the day that I did meet was to run all 13.1 miles without stopping. I never walked once, not even at water stops, and didn't go to the restroom. I think it was only the 4th time I've run 13.1 nonstop. I often have walked hills or through water stops or while searching for a good song on my mp3.
In this race, my legs didn't do what I hoped they would do, However, I didn't push hard to the point of hurting for two reasons---
A. I've forgotten how to do that and
B. I have a full trail marathon in only two weeks that I have undertrained for. I didn't want to add much to the lingering fatigue.
Course/race review-The course was my favorite kind of course---the perfect mix of hills and flats. None of the hills were utterly ridiculous, and I've run more than a few of those lately. I told myself, "I'm a mountain goat" as I ran up the hills. After trail running, regular-sized road hills don't seem as daunting. It's a fairly challenging course (more than Tom King or the Music City Half in Nashville, which are flat, flat, flat), but I'm less sore and less bored with a little variety. It's not nearly as hard as the Country Music Half or Go Commando in Clarksville. I enjoyed the mix of country roads with city streets. The crowd support in this small-town half marathon was surprisingly wonderful as well. Just don't stay at the Quality Inn. You've been warned. Overall, I highly recommend the Murray Half Marathon in Murray, KY. I may be back next year to break 2:10.... or 2:05!
Next up- taper (thank God!!!!!) for the Backside Trail Marathon
The race was good and a little disappointing at the same time. 2:10:36, my 5th fastest of 16 half marathons.
Long version:
In October, I ran a half in 2:05, and I was hoping to AT LEAST get sub 2:10 in the Murray Half Marathon on April 13.
Training- I've been running fairly consistently since the end of January, though not following a training plan. I've been winging it as I came back from the ankle sprain in November and honestly enjoying this low-key approach to running. My mileage had been fairly low (15-20 miles per week) until the last 3 weeks, when I jumped to 25+ miles per week.
Why the jump? Because I was so disgusted with the way I blew up at the LBL trail 23K, I signed up for a consolation trail marathon at the end of this month with only four weeks to train. (Call me crazy. If nothing else, it lit a fire under my training!) I don't know if I'm trying to punish my body for the terrible race or just looking for some trail redemption. To compensate, two weeks ago I jumped from a longest run/hike of 14 miles to 17 miles. It went well, and I ran fast (for me). Too fast. The next week, fatigue lingered in my legs. Then last weekend, I did double long runs--a two-hour trail run on Friday and then a three-hour road/trail run on Saturday. I hit a wall in that 2nd one at mile 11 and had to walk the last 2 or 3 miles. Ouch. One week prior to this half marathon, the double left me with tired legs on top of tired legs. I haven't felt fresh legs in weeks. I think I've forgotten what they feel like. I ran only six miles this week and taught my one HIIT class in hopes of a bit of recovery before race day.
The race- For ONCE in my life, I actually ran smart. I didn't go out too fast, and I ran consistently. I listened to my body and let it dictate the pace, not what I thought I was supposed to run. I was *hoping* about 9:40 or 9:45 would feel right, or even 9:20 for a nice surprise.
Not today. I warmed up for one gentle mile, and it was time to start. I reigned in adrenaline and ran at a moderatly uncomfortable pace for that first mile-- 9:55 pace. Then the next two were 9:53 and 9:51. I always know by mile four how the day is going to go. By mile 4, I could tell that around 9:55 was the pace my body wanted to run for the day. So I ran that. In fact, my miles were all between 9:50 and 10:03 for the first 12 miles of the race. My legs just felt too heavy and fatigued to go any faster. There was no fresh. At times, it was a bit of a struggle to keep up a 9:55ish pace.
The middle miles are always the toughest for me, and today my miles 8, 9, and 10 were the slowest at 10:01, 10:02, and 10:03. I was sad to see I was getting slower. After mile 10, I knew there was just 5K left. I decided I had a little fight left in me and pushed to get back under 10-minute miles. I was relieved to see 9:56 and 9:52 for miles 11 and 12. I knew I was almost done, so I pushed to 9:38 for mile 13 (yay for small victories!), and about a 9:18 pace for the UPHILL finish of .17 (by my watch). I missed my sub-2:10 goal by 37 seconds but finished strong. It's hard to call that a bad day.
One goal for the day that I did meet was to run all 13.1 miles without stopping. I never walked once, not even at water stops, and didn't go to the restroom. I think it was only the 4th time I've run 13.1 nonstop. I often have walked hills or through water stops or while searching for a good song on my mp3.
In this race, my legs didn't do what I hoped they would do, However, I didn't push hard to the point of hurting for two reasons---
A. I've forgotten how to do that and
B. I have a full trail marathon in only two weeks that I have undertrained for. I didn't want to add much to the lingering fatigue.
Course/race review-The course was my favorite kind of course---the perfect mix of hills and flats. None of the hills were utterly ridiculous, and I've run more than a few of those lately. I told myself, "I'm a mountain goat" as I ran up the hills. After trail running, regular-sized road hills don't seem as daunting. It's a fairly challenging course (more than Tom King or the Music City Half in Nashville, which are flat, flat, flat), but I'm less sore and less bored with a little variety. It's not nearly as hard as the Country Music Half or Go Commando in Clarksville. I enjoyed the mix of country roads with city streets. The crowd support in this small-town half marathon was surprisingly wonderful as well. Just don't stay at the Quality Inn. You've been warned. Overall, I highly recommend the Murray Half Marathon in Murray, KY. I may be back next year to break 2:10.... or 2:05!
Next up- taper (thank God!!!!!) for the Backside Trail Marathon
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Lots of Races and a Coach!
In July, I've committed to working with elite marathoner and 61-time marathon winner Justin Gillette for 4-6 months. I feel like I've plateaued in terms of speed, and I want a fresh perspective. It helps that he seems like a really nice and funny guy. He's going to help me lower my half marathon and marathon times. Without Justin, I think I could break 2:05 in a half finally, but not 2 hours. With Justin, breaking two hours seems a little more possible. Without Justin, I think I could break 4:35 in a marathon (PR is 4:36), but with Justin, maybe I could break 4:25 or even 4:20. (You can hire him, too! Go to www.gilletterunning.blogspot.com )
Between now and July 1, I want to have as much fun as possible running!! I want to try some new things. I want to do what I want to do, run as fast as I want to run, and run as far as I want to run. Then it will be Justin's turn to tell me what to do. And I'll do it.
I have a half marathon in two weeks as sort of a fitness test and then a trail marathon at the end of the April. I won't be tapering for the half--there's no time! I literally just decided to do this trail full and only have a month to train. I'd been planning on doing one in 2013 and there's no time like the present! LBL was supposed to be my first trail full marathon, but I just didn't get the chance to train for it with my ankle sprain.
I ran 17 miles today and it went EXTREMELY well (10:47 pace and last mile was 10:11--fastest of the day!). My longest distance since November had been the 14 miler at LBL, and as you may know, I fell apart and hiked a bunch of that instead of running. My longs have been 10, 14, 12, 12.5, and 17. I was surprised that 17 went as well as it did. I hit 13.1 at 2:20 and felt great. I only walked a couple of the ridiculous hills at our Greenway, but never got so tired I felt like I even wanted to walk. It was one of the best long runs I've ever had.
I'm a believer in 3-hour training runs being sufficient for a marathon. (Today's was 3:03.) I've read many articles from Marathon Nation and the Hanson-Brooks project that espouse this plan. Apparently, the training adaptations needed from the stimulus of a long run occur around the three-hour mark. For slow runners like me, that is only 16-17 miles. Putting my body through a longer run puts more stress and strain on it and takes too long to recover. Sure, if your relaxed long-run pace is a 9:00 minute mile, you can run 20 miles in 3 hours. Mine's certainly not! In Europe, a longest run of 30K or 18.6 miles is the norm. The U.S. is the main place where we worship at the altar of the 20-miler. A couple of years ago, I declared that I was done with long, slow 20-milers that take me 3:45-4 hours and leave me sore and starving for days. And since then, I've PR'd two marathons on no 20-milers! For me, the key is getting in plenty of weekly mileage (several 30+ mile weeks), doing two or three 16's and maybe one 18 miler (I figure 3:10 or 15 isn't too harmful). I also throw in a little back-to-back mileage running 3-6 on Friday before or Sunday after the long run. It works for me (fairly well). Ha--obviously not well enough. It will be neat to see my coach's philosophy on 20-milers.
After the trail full, I'm scheduled to do a half marathon on some lovely country roads called the Viola Valley Half Marathon in mid-May. It's just to get in one more long training run for the ultramarathon Run Under the Stars in June. I've got to keep up with some long mileage. I want to do well at RUTS. I've set the goal of 60K. I have 10 hours. That's averaging a 16-minute mile (but that time includes all bathroom breaks, food, shoe/sock changes, etc.--stuff you don't have to worry about in a marathon). My goal that night is to just OUTLAST. I want to go until the clock runs out if my feet can possibly carry me that long.
My RUTS training strategy is to do back-to-back long runs and keep my mileage up over 30-mpw. I need to train both walking muscles and running muscles. After the trail marathon, I will be alternating high mileage weeks with easy weeks. I plan to taper for two weeks prior (and I'll be on vacation in Florida one of those weeks!).
After RUTS, I may do one or two last "crazy" events. The Run It Fast Club is possibly planning on a series of marathons in late June. I may try to do one or at least crew/volunteer. Then the Loonies Midnight Marathon is in July. It sounds like a lot of fun. It falls after I've started training with Justin, but I'm sure we can work around it.
Happy Running!!!
Between now and July 1, I want to have as much fun as possible running!! I want to try some new things. I want to do what I want to do, run as fast as I want to run, and run as far as I want to run. Then it will be Justin's turn to tell me what to do. And I'll do it.
I have a half marathon in two weeks as sort of a fitness test and then a trail marathon at the end of the April. I won't be tapering for the half--there's no time! I literally just decided to do this trail full and only have a month to train. I'd been planning on doing one in 2013 and there's no time like the present! LBL was supposed to be my first trail full marathon, but I just didn't get the chance to train for it with my ankle sprain.
I ran 17 miles today and it went EXTREMELY well (10:47 pace and last mile was 10:11--fastest of the day!). My longest distance since November had been the 14 miler at LBL, and as you may know, I fell apart and hiked a bunch of that instead of running. My longs have been 10, 14, 12, 12.5, and 17. I was surprised that 17 went as well as it did. I hit 13.1 at 2:20 and felt great. I only walked a couple of the ridiculous hills at our Greenway, but never got so tired I felt like I even wanted to walk. It was one of the best long runs I've ever had.
I'm a believer in 3-hour training runs being sufficient for a marathon. (Today's was 3:03.) I've read many articles from Marathon Nation and the Hanson-Brooks project that espouse this plan. Apparently, the training adaptations needed from the stimulus of a long run occur around the three-hour mark. For slow runners like me, that is only 16-17 miles. Putting my body through a longer run puts more stress and strain on it and takes too long to recover. Sure, if your relaxed long-run pace is a 9:00 minute mile, you can run 20 miles in 3 hours. Mine's certainly not! In Europe, a longest run of 30K or 18.6 miles is the norm. The U.S. is the main place where we worship at the altar of the 20-miler. A couple of years ago, I declared that I was done with long, slow 20-milers that take me 3:45-4 hours and leave me sore and starving for days. And since then, I've PR'd two marathons on no 20-milers! For me, the key is getting in plenty of weekly mileage (several 30+ mile weeks), doing two or three 16's and maybe one 18 miler (I figure 3:10 or 15 isn't too harmful). I also throw in a little back-to-back mileage running 3-6 on Friday before or Sunday after the long run. It works for me (fairly well). Ha--obviously not well enough. It will be neat to see my coach's philosophy on 20-milers.
After the trail full, I'm scheduled to do a half marathon on some lovely country roads called the Viola Valley Half Marathon in mid-May. It's just to get in one more long training run for the ultramarathon Run Under the Stars in June. I've got to keep up with some long mileage. I want to do well at RUTS. I've set the goal of 60K. I have 10 hours. That's averaging a 16-minute mile (but that time includes all bathroom breaks, food, shoe/sock changes, etc.--stuff you don't have to worry about in a marathon). My goal that night is to just OUTLAST. I want to go until the clock runs out if my feet can possibly carry me that long.
My RUTS training strategy is to do back-to-back long runs and keep my mileage up over 30-mpw. I need to train both walking muscles and running muscles. After the trail marathon, I will be alternating high mileage weeks with easy weeks. I plan to taper for two weeks prior (and I'll be on vacation in Florida one of those weeks!).
After RUTS, I may do one or two last "crazy" events. The Run It Fast Club is possibly planning on a series of marathons in late June. I may try to do one or at least crew/volunteer. Then the Loonies Midnight Marathon is in July. It sounds like a lot of fun. It falls after I've started training with Justin, but I'm sure we can work around it.
Happy Running!!!
Friday, March 15, 2013
13 Weeks to Ultramarathon
Since I have an ultramarathon in 13 weeks, it is perhaps time to GET SERIOUS about training. It is not a traditional ultra---it is Run Under the Stars 10-hour Endurance Event in Paducah, KY. We will run around a 1/2 mile horse track for 10 hours--starting at 8:00 p.m. and ending at 6:00 a.m. Sounds fun, right?
Last year, I had a rough go of it. I suffered from both boredom and blisters early on. Every step was painful mentally and physically after mile 7. My feet swelled due to the heat, my sodium intake, and the fact that the race began at 8:00 p.m. (and feet are naturally larger in the evening). My normal running shoe size (which had fit just fine for 26.2 with just one blister!) no longer fit. Finally, around mile 13, I borrowed a man's shoes several sizes too large, and running awkwardly in them at least dulled the pain for a while. I felt and looked ridiculous in my giant man-shoes, so that kept me somewhat occupied. Honestly, up to and after 26.2 wasn't too bad. My knee started hurting around 30, but I was so close to 50K that I continued. When I got to 31.5 miles, I stopped. There was still time left in the event, but I had met my goal.
This year, my goal is to keep going until
A. I simply can't go any longer in flip flops if necessary OR
B. Time runs completely out on the clock.
I hope to watch the sun set on the course and the sun rise on the course.
I think I have the boredom situation covered. I've made many new ultramarathoning friends over the past year who will be running RUTS. I will be cheering them on and chatting with some of the more "normal" ones who jog or walk some of the miles like me.
The shoe/blister situation is a work in progress. At a summer night race, your feet are going to swell. I have started buying shoes another 1/2 size larger since those awful blisters caused the loss of four or five toenails. My street shoes are a ladies' 9, but I'm rocking a 10.5 in running shoes! One-and-a-half sizes up is actually quite comfortable. I should have gone up sooner! I may take an old pair of my 12-year old's shoes to have as a back up. He has outgrown me by a couple of sizes already. His worn out, stretched out New Balance $50 shoes are still better than finishing in flip flops.
I'm trying to get a handle on the training situation. Last year, I was well-trained for a 26.2 that was 6 weeks from RUTS. This year, I don't have a definite full marathon on my schedule in April or May. I refuse to do the Country Music Marathon again and pay their ridiculous price. I'm considering the Flying Pig in Cincinnati, but that involves a hotel stay and travel expenses PLUS the race fee. I could technically do a 26-mile training run on my own for free, but I'm not sure I have the gumption to run 26.2 on my own. I will probably just put in a couple of 20 milers with maybe a 6 or 8 the next day.
There is nothing like a BAD race (LBL trail race last weekend) to motivate you to get into gear! I feel extremely motivated and not the least bit burned out.
That's a good way to start 13 weeks of ultramarathon preparation, don't you think?
Last year, I had a rough go of it. I suffered from both boredom and blisters early on. Every step was painful mentally and physically after mile 7. My feet swelled due to the heat, my sodium intake, and the fact that the race began at 8:00 p.m. (and feet are naturally larger in the evening). My normal running shoe size (which had fit just fine for 26.2 with just one blister!) no longer fit. Finally, around mile 13, I borrowed a man's shoes several sizes too large, and running awkwardly in them at least dulled the pain for a while. I felt and looked ridiculous in my giant man-shoes, so that kept me somewhat occupied. Honestly, up to and after 26.2 wasn't too bad. My knee started hurting around 30, but I was so close to 50K that I continued. When I got to 31.5 miles, I stopped. There was still time left in the event, but I had met my goal.
This year, my goal is to keep going until
A. I simply can't go any longer in flip flops if necessary OR
B. Time runs completely out on the clock.
I hope to watch the sun set on the course and the sun rise on the course.
I think I have the boredom situation covered. I've made many new ultramarathoning friends over the past year who will be running RUTS. I will be cheering them on and chatting with some of the more "normal" ones who jog or walk some of the miles like me.
The shoe/blister situation is a work in progress. At a summer night race, your feet are going to swell. I have started buying shoes another 1/2 size larger since those awful blisters caused the loss of four or five toenails. My street shoes are a ladies' 9, but I'm rocking a 10.5 in running shoes! One-and-a-half sizes up is actually quite comfortable. I should have gone up sooner! I may take an old pair of my 12-year old's shoes to have as a back up. He has outgrown me by a couple of sizes already. His worn out, stretched out New Balance $50 shoes are still better than finishing in flip flops.
I'm trying to get a handle on the training situation. Last year, I was well-trained for a 26.2 that was 6 weeks from RUTS. This year, I don't have a definite full marathon on my schedule in April or May. I refuse to do the Country Music Marathon again and pay their ridiculous price. I'm considering the Flying Pig in Cincinnati, but that involves a hotel stay and travel expenses PLUS the race fee. I could technically do a 26-mile training run on my own for free, but I'm not sure I have the gumption to run 26.2 on my own. I will probably just put in a couple of 20 milers with maybe a 6 or 8 the next day.
There is nothing like a BAD race (LBL trail race last weekend) to motivate you to get into gear! I feel extremely motivated and not the least bit burned out.
That's a good way to start 13 weeks of ultramarathon preparation, don't you think?
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Three Weeks of Races
I completed my 3rd race in three weeks yesterday. That was definitely a first.
Race one: On February 23, I "got back on the horse that threw me" and ran the Race Judicata 10K in Percy Warner Park. It is the toughest 10K course in the state of Tennessee. My goals were to not resprain my ankle, to run hard and not walk any of the GIGANTIC hills, and to come in around a 10-minute mile. I texted my friend Michelle, "10-minute miles or bust" the day before. It was tough, but I met my goal! I'm fairly certain my heartrate was at 110% of my max heart rate as I fought my way up a hill that was close to a mile long and later a shorter, incredibly steep one. But determination won out. I finished the race at a 9:55 pace. Unfortunately, the course was short, so it was only 5.75. I continued running after the finish until I was at 6.2, lowering my average to 9:53. Yay! For such a hilly course, that was a win. I definitely had flashbacks to the Flying Monkey Marathon (I walked up the two terrible hills that I ran today). On the downhills similar to the ones where I fell, I was very paranoid and couldn't just let go and let gravity do the work. I think I will have to relearn how to run down hills or just overcome that fear of falling.
Race two: I participated in a little 5K race in my hometown called ReLove Haiti. I planned to use it as a fitness test. Race morning was snowy, with large, fat, wet flakes that just melted on the road. It was about 33 degrees and very windy. It snowed the entire race, which I loved. I ran it hard. I stayed with my friend Tim until about 2.5, then pulled ahead (that rarely happens to me!). I finished 3.07 in 27:20, about 21 seconds off a PR. I realized the Garmin wasn't quite at 3.1, so I continued (once again!) until 3.1, which was about 27:32 or so. (I accidentally went to 3.13, so I'm estimating.) I averaged about an 8:52 pace, which I can live with. I was happy to be relatively close to my pre-injury running pace. I ran a 5K in September in 27:11 I think. I'd like to run one at an 8-8:30 pace later this year. However, I came out with an age group 3rd place for ages 35-44. I'll take it!
Finally, race three was yesterday: Land Between the Lakes trail 23K. I actually enjoyed this one more as a social event than a race. I had about six Facebook friends coming to the race with whom I've talked running for a while, but whom I'd never met. I'm a member of a page called Run365 as well as the Run It Fast Club (no idea why they let me in!). Both have members all over the U.S. Some are elite runners, most are regular runners like me. It's a great running network. I had dinner plans with 6 strangers the night before the race. We managed to find one another at the restaurant based on Facebook pics, and I really enjoyed chatting with them. We found common ground even outside of running. They were just easy to talk to and be with. I got to meet one of the runners from the club who is a bit of a "running hero" to me. I'd been following his running escapades on Facebook, so it was nice to finally talk in person.
Social networking aside, the race was kind of AWFUL. My goal was to beat last year's 2:50 finish time (11:52 pace) even though I had only a four-mile longest run on trails and a 10-mile longest road run. Last year, I was in the heart of marathon training with a couple of 14-mile and 16-mile long runs under my belt. BIG DIFFERENCE.
I got up at 4:42 a.m. after little sleep to have breakfast at my hotel. Unfortunately, they ran out of coffee! I had about 1/2 cup of caffeinated and the rest was decaf. I'm accustomed to 2 cups of caffeine at least on race day. Not a great start to the day. I drove 5 minutes to the start and immediately got in the port of potty line. Then I wandered around trying to find our Run It Fast group picture. I needed to get back in the port o john line though, but by then they were extremely long. I figured I could make it to an aid station. Our group met up and took a pre-race pic, and it was time to start at 6:30 a.m. There was about a 1.5 mile run on the road to the trail that was fine, but I noticed I felt less energy than usual. Then we turned onto the single track trail. The first mile on the trail was really crowded and a couple of people started to walk, so we all had to walk. It was very stop and go, like being in rush-hour traffic. I was getting frustrated. We finally settled in at about a 10:30 pace. I was (perhaps stupidly) pushing to run about 10:15-10:45 in those early miles. But it felt HARD. That should have tipped me off! I generally know what kind of day I'm having in a race by mile 4. By mile 4 or 5, I thought I might not be having a great day. My legs felt heavier than normal, and though warmed up, I still felt low in energy.
I was running along with a fully bladder hoping for an aid station with a restroom. I didn't see one at the mile 4 aid station, so I kept moving along. I was gelling about every 3.5 miles in hopes of finding that missing energy. I tripped for the first time in about the 3rd mile. I didn't fall, but it was unsettling. I tripped on a root again a few minutes later. Then in mile 6, the one thing I didn't want to happen happened--I rolled my left ankle--the one that had just healed. That familiar burning pain came immediately back and stayed with me for the rest of the race. I think that was when I lost the MENTAL GAME. I felt scared that I had reinjured it and knew I had 8 miles to go on it--similar to when I sprained it in the marathon at mile 10 and had to run 15 more miles. It hurt, but was manageable, so I was sure it wasn't as bad as the first time.
I finally got to mile 8, where there was a lone restroom and about 7 people in line. My bladder was hurting by now. However, I thought I might be on track for a PR still at that point, so I couldn't afford the time. Instead, I saw a road that went alongside the trail. I went down that road a few yards (passing two gentlemen who had just done what I was about to do) and tried to find a discreet place. I hiked through some brush and found the fattest tree I could. I tried to hide behind it and finally relieved my bladder. The funny thing is that I could SEE the runners on the trail, so that means they could also see ME if they chose to turn and look. But none of them looked (that I know of). In these situations, you just do what you've got to do! I felt better.
Shortly after my pit stop, the trail turned much more difficult. I remembered these hills from last year, when I really didn't think they were that bad. I was apparently on crack when I ran it last year. They were TOUGH. Between 8 and 11, I began to fall apart. By mile 10, I had lost the mental game and was walking all the hills. I was just plain over it. By mile 11, I had lost the physical game-- my legs had just left me. I hit THE WALL. I simply had no energy, and no amount of caffeinated gels seemed to help. My muscles were tight and began to cramp, especially my glutes and calves. I generally don't cramp up in a race, but I did in this one. I tripped HARD on a rock in mile 11, went airborne briefly, and landed awkwardly on my right leg. I wrenched my back a bit in the landing and everything just tensed up. After that, basically everything from my lower back to my feet hurt. I was running some/hiking some. I just wanted to be finish.
The worst part--- in the last mile, I could see a RACE WALKER ahead of me. AHEAD. And he was approximately 75 years old. Awesome.
I finally finished 17 minutes off last year's time. But I made it. I had a shower and a brief nap and went back to watch the marathon, 60K, and 50 mile finishers. It was really inspiring and made me want to come back and redeem this race next year. I should probably train for it next time.
Still, I enjoyed my mini-vacation to Kentucky Lake. I watched the sun set the night before the race sitting alone on a jetty over the water. It was amazingly peaceful. I enjoyed my solo hotel stay and just a break from grading papers, walking the dog, cooking, cleaning up after 3 kids, and just life in general. I made six new friends, and I spent a few hours enjoying a beautiful trail with some incredible views of the lake. I was inspired by the determination of the ultramarathon finishers, especially the ones who completed the 50 miler in better shape than I was after 14. I don't know how they managed to sprint that last 1/4 mile.
Today, mainly my right foot hurts. The ankle feels ok, which is a relief. I'll live to run another day.
Race one: On February 23, I "got back on the horse that threw me" and ran the Race Judicata 10K in Percy Warner Park. It is the toughest 10K course in the state of Tennessee. My goals were to not resprain my ankle, to run hard and not walk any of the GIGANTIC hills, and to come in around a 10-minute mile. I texted my friend Michelle, "10-minute miles or bust" the day before. It was tough, but I met my goal! I'm fairly certain my heartrate was at 110% of my max heart rate as I fought my way up a hill that was close to a mile long and later a shorter, incredibly steep one. But determination won out. I finished the race at a 9:55 pace. Unfortunately, the course was short, so it was only 5.75. I continued running after the finish until I was at 6.2, lowering my average to 9:53. Yay! For such a hilly course, that was a win. I definitely had flashbacks to the Flying Monkey Marathon (I walked up the two terrible hills that I ran today). On the downhills similar to the ones where I fell, I was very paranoid and couldn't just let go and let gravity do the work. I think I will have to relearn how to run down hills or just overcome that fear of falling.
Race two: I participated in a little 5K race in my hometown called ReLove Haiti. I planned to use it as a fitness test. Race morning was snowy, with large, fat, wet flakes that just melted on the road. It was about 33 degrees and very windy. It snowed the entire race, which I loved. I ran it hard. I stayed with my friend Tim until about 2.5, then pulled ahead (that rarely happens to me!). I finished 3.07 in 27:20, about 21 seconds off a PR. I realized the Garmin wasn't quite at 3.1, so I continued (once again!) until 3.1, which was about 27:32 or so. (I accidentally went to 3.13, so I'm estimating.) I averaged about an 8:52 pace, which I can live with. I was happy to be relatively close to my pre-injury running pace. I ran a 5K in September in 27:11 I think. I'd like to run one at an 8-8:30 pace later this year. However, I came out with an age group 3rd place for ages 35-44. I'll take it!
Finally, race three was yesterday: Land Between the Lakes trail 23K. I actually enjoyed this one more as a social event than a race. I had about six Facebook friends coming to the race with whom I've talked running for a while, but whom I'd never met. I'm a member of a page called Run365 as well as the Run It Fast Club (no idea why they let me in!). Both have members all over the U.S. Some are elite runners, most are regular runners like me. It's a great running network. I had dinner plans with 6 strangers the night before the race. We managed to find one another at the restaurant based on Facebook pics, and I really enjoyed chatting with them. We found common ground even outside of running. They were just easy to talk to and be with. I got to meet one of the runners from the club who is a bit of a "running hero" to me. I'd been following his running escapades on Facebook, so it was nice to finally talk in person.
Social networking aside, the race was kind of AWFUL. My goal was to beat last year's 2:50 finish time (11:52 pace) even though I had only a four-mile longest run on trails and a 10-mile longest road run. Last year, I was in the heart of marathon training with a couple of 14-mile and 16-mile long runs under my belt. BIG DIFFERENCE.
I got up at 4:42 a.m. after little sleep to have breakfast at my hotel. Unfortunately, they ran out of coffee! I had about 1/2 cup of caffeinated and the rest was decaf. I'm accustomed to 2 cups of caffeine at least on race day. Not a great start to the day. I drove 5 minutes to the start and immediately got in the port of potty line. Then I wandered around trying to find our Run It Fast group picture. I needed to get back in the port o john line though, but by then they were extremely long. I figured I could make it to an aid station. Our group met up and took a pre-race pic, and it was time to start at 6:30 a.m. There was about a 1.5 mile run on the road to the trail that was fine, but I noticed I felt less energy than usual. Then we turned onto the single track trail. The first mile on the trail was really crowded and a couple of people started to walk, so we all had to walk. It was very stop and go, like being in rush-hour traffic. I was getting frustrated. We finally settled in at about a 10:30 pace. I was (perhaps stupidly) pushing to run about 10:15-10:45 in those early miles. But it felt HARD. That should have tipped me off! I generally know what kind of day I'm having in a race by mile 4. By mile 4 or 5, I thought I might not be having a great day. My legs felt heavier than normal, and though warmed up, I still felt low in energy.
I was running along with a fully bladder hoping for an aid station with a restroom. I didn't see one at the mile 4 aid station, so I kept moving along. I was gelling about every 3.5 miles in hopes of finding that missing energy. I tripped for the first time in about the 3rd mile. I didn't fall, but it was unsettling. I tripped on a root again a few minutes later. Then in mile 6, the one thing I didn't want to happen happened--I rolled my left ankle--the one that had just healed. That familiar burning pain came immediately back and stayed with me for the rest of the race. I think that was when I lost the MENTAL GAME. I felt scared that I had reinjured it and knew I had 8 miles to go on it--similar to when I sprained it in the marathon at mile 10 and had to run 15 more miles. It hurt, but was manageable, so I was sure it wasn't as bad as the first time.
I finally got to mile 8, where there was a lone restroom and about 7 people in line. My bladder was hurting by now. However, I thought I might be on track for a PR still at that point, so I couldn't afford the time. Instead, I saw a road that went alongside the trail. I went down that road a few yards (passing two gentlemen who had just done what I was about to do) and tried to find a discreet place. I hiked through some brush and found the fattest tree I could. I tried to hide behind it and finally relieved my bladder. The funny thing is that I could SEE the runners on the trail, so that means they could also see ME if they chose to turn and look. But none of them looked (that I know of). In these situations, you just do what you've got to do! I felt better.
Shortly after my pit stop, the trail turned much more difficult. I remembered these hills from last year, when I really didn't think they were that bad. I was apparently on crack when I ran it last year. They were TOUGH. Between 8 and 11, I began to fall apart. By mile 10, I had lost the mental game and was walking all the hills. I was just plain over it. By mile 11, I had lost the physical game-- my legs had just left me. I hit THE WALL. I simply had no energy, and no amount of caffeinated gels seemed to help. My muscles were tight and began to cramp, especially my glutes and calves. I generally don't cramp up in a race, but I did in this one. I tripped HARD on a rock in mile 11, went airborne briefly, and landed awkwardly on my right leg. I wrenched my back a bit in the landing and everything just tensed up. After that, basically everything from my lower back to my feet hurt. I was running some/hiking some. I just wanted to be finish.
The worst part--- in the last mile, I could see a RACE WALKER ahead of me. AHEAD. And he was approximately 75 years old. Awesome.
I finally finished 17 minutes off last year's time. But I made it. I had a shower and a brief nap and went back to watch the marathon, 60K, and 50 mile finishers. It was really inspiring and made me want to come back and redeem this race next year. I should probably train for it next time.
Still, I enjoyed my mini-vacation to Kentucky Lake. I watched the sun set the night before the race sitting alone on a jetty over the water. It was amazingly peaceful. I enjoyed my solo hotel stay and just a break from grading papers, walking the dog, cooking, cleaning up after 3 kids, and just life in general. I made six new friends, and I spent a few hours enjoying a beautiful trail with some incredible views of the lake. I was inspired by the determination of the ultramarathon finishers, especially the ones who completed the 50 miler in better shape than I was after 14. I don't know how they managed to sprint that last 1/4 mile.
Today, mainly my right foot hurts. The ankle feels ok, which is a relief. I'll live to run another day.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Life Happens: Coming Full Circle
Whew! I have been so busy since my last blog post. I went back to work part-time as an English teacher at the end of January. I teach three classes per week at a local community college. Last weekend, I adopted a beagle/basset--a "bagle." I started a training group for the Country Music Half Marathon. I have fourteen athletes. I've continued my sprained ankle recovery building up mileage and doing just a little speedwork, a little trail running, and LOTS of runs with friends. I can't remember the last time I ran alone. The ankle is making progress. It is unhappy on cold, rainy days and if I do too much mileage on consecutive days.
I started teaching a high-intensity-interval class on Tuesdays at 8:30 at the YMCA on January 1. It is a combination of HIIT, cardio, and strength training. I took a "before" picture and a picture six weeks later. I was ASTOUNDED at the difference HIIT made.
The tough thing is that Tuesday is a running day, so I generally go run four miles after teaching my cardio circuit class, and those area always TOUGH miles. My legs are often smoked from forty-five minutes of burpees, jump rope, squats, lunges, etc. At least running after strength training forces your body to go right into fat burning mode. It is making me run through fatigue and "dead legs" and hopefully building endurance.
I'm whittling my pace back down to under 10:20 on medium runs and under 10:45 for longer ones. It's a start. I ran three 800's last week at about an 8:15 pace and it wasn't awful. I had a three mile tempo run at about a 9:25 pace the week before that was fairly awful. I do a little sprinting in my class, but it's only around 50 to 75 meters. For the past two weeks, I've done speedwork on Thursday, a longish run on Friday, and a long or moderate run on Saturday.
After the 2nd week of that, my ankle, which had been doing fantastically, began to hurt again. Too much, too soon, I guess. I am taking it very easy this week. I have my first race of 2013 on Saturday!
I am "getting back on the horse that threw me," so to speak. The last race I ran was the Flying Monkey Marathon on November 18 in Percy Warner Park in Nashville. I fell HARD on a downhill and sprained both my ankle and wrist at about mile 10. I continued 16 more miles in pain and finished the race. I took a break from running and lost so much speed and endurance. However, I was horribly burned out, so the timing actually worked out ok. (If there actually is a "good time" to be injured....) It has been nice to not focus on running so much.
On Saturday, I'm running the Race Judicata 10K once again in Percy Warner Park. The park that broke me is the park where I am staging my comeback. I don't know how much of a comeback it will actually be! My goal is to just run the best that I can with what I'm working with right now and to NOT fall and get injured. I need to experience Percy Warner Park again--not in pain, not rolling on the concrete. I plan to embrace the hills and the experience of racing again. I know a three-month hiatus from running races doesn't sound like much, but it really does seem like ages since I ran a race.
My ankle is bothering me a little, so I plan to take Thursday and Friday off from running. After the 10K at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, I'm meeting my training group for 7 miles at 1:00 p.m. It's going to be an interesting day. I'm a little nervous about how the ankle will hold up.
Next weekend is a little 5K race to just use as a baseline for 2013. Then the following week is a 23K trail race just for FUN along beautiful Kentucky Lake. My longest run has been 10, so 14.2 miles, including 11.6 on a trail, should be interesting.
Three races in three weeks---THAT is a new record. I suppose I'm making up for lost time. I'm excited to be back racing. It's just what I do. Not particularly well or anything, but it adds some life to my days. :-)
I started teaching a high-intensity-interval class on Tuesdays at 8:30 at the YMCA on January 1. It is a combination of HIIT, cardio, and strength training. I took a "before" picture and a picture six weeks later. I was ASTOUNDED at the difference HIIT made.
The tough thing is that Tuesday is a running day, so I generally go run four miles after teaching my cardio circuit class, and those area always TOUGH miles. My legs are often smoked from forty-five minutes of burpees, jump rope, squats, lunges, etc. At least running after strength training forces your body to go right into fat burning mode. It is making me run through fatigue and "dead legs" and hopefully building endurance.
I'm whittling my pace back down to under 10:20 on medium runs and under 10:45 for longer ones. It's a start. I ran three 800's last week at about an 8:15 pace and it wasn't awful. I had a three mile tempo run at about a 9:25 pace the week before that was fairly awful. I do a little sprinting in my class, but it's only around 50 to 75 meters. For the past two weeks, I've done speedwork on Thursday, a longish run on Friday, and a long or moderate run on Saturday.
After the 2nd week of that, my ankle, which had been doing fantastically, began to hurt again. Too much, too soon, I guess. I am taking it very easy this week. I have my first race of 2013 on Saturday!
I am "getting back on the horse that threw me," so to speak. The last race I ran was the Flying Monkey Marathon on November 18 in Percy Warner Park in Nashville. I fell HARD on a downhill and sprained both my ankle and wrist at about mile 10. I continued 16 more miles in pain and finished the race. I took a break from running and lost so much speed and endurance. However, I was horribly burned out, so the timing actually worked out ok. (If there actually is a "good time" to be injured....) It has been nice to not focus on running so much.
On Saturday, I'm running the Race Judicata 10K once again in Percy Warner Park. The park that broke me is the park where I am staging my comeback. I don't know how much of a comeback it will actually be! My goal is to just run the best that I can with what I'm working with right now and to NOT fall and get injured. I need to experience Percy Warner Park again--not in pain, not rolling on the concrete. I plan to embrace the hills and the experience of racing again. I know a three-month hiatus from running races doesn't sound like much, but it really does seem like ages since I ran a race.
My ankle is bothering me a little, so I plan to take Thursday and Friday off from running. After the 10K at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, I'm meeting my training group for 7 miles at 1:00 p.m. It's going to be an interesting day. I'm a little nervous about how the ankle will hold up.
Next weekend is a little 5K race to just use as a baseline for 2013. Then the following week is a 23K trail race just for FUN along beautiful Kentucky Lake. My longest run has been 10, so 14.2 miles, including 11.6 on a trail, should be interesting.
Three races in three weeks---THAT is a new record. I suppose I'm making up for lost time. I'm excited to be back racing. It's just what I do. Not particularly well or anything, but it adds some life to my days. :-)
This is Buddy, my bagle. He's actually a pretty good runner! I've only had him for four days, but he ran a quarter mile with me. I let him set the pace. I happened to have on my Garmin, and he can run about a 10:10 pace. Works for me! I can't wait to take him on a trail.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The 3 R's: Recover, Rebuild, and REFOCUS
All those resolutions/goals I said I wanted for 2013? Toss 'em.
The more I've run these last few of weeks, the more I've tried to get my speed back, the more I've tried to hang on to a 7-mile long run, the MORE my ankle has hurt. It hurt day and night. It hurt going down steps or simply walking. It hurt for the first 1.5 miles of any run (previously it only hurt about the first half mile). Recovery definitely took two steps back. I wound up having to take a solid 6 days off from running. I hiked, I strength trained, I spun (spinned? cycled?), I rested.
And it felt so much better! Only 6 days off netted great improvement. I started back on Wednesday with a slow, gentle 3-mile treadmill run on an incline of 2-3. It feels best on an incline, rather than a flat. An incline reduces impact and shortens my stride. It was an embarrassingly slow pace I won't post here, but it was a comfortable pace that didn't HURT. That's one step in the RIGHT DIRECTION. Then a 1.5 mile treadmill run and a .5 walk afterwards on Thursday. Finally, a two mile run on a track without a watch and an estimated one-mile walk around campus with a friend in gorgeous 70-degree and sunny weather. (In January!!) It was so enjoyable to not care how fast we were going, to run pain free, and to spend time with a friend. Ahhh, I had forgotten about this aspect of training. Then a couple hours later I spun (spinned? cycled?) 4 miles including a Tabata interval. Friday was my "long" day.
It is a little sore today after 3 days of activity, so I'm going to rest. I'm going to rest from running for at least 2-3 days. On Sunday afternoon, I plan to spin.
This is the kind of runner I was talking about two or three posts ago. I'm just rebuilding and trying to get healthy. I've let all concern of pace and distance go. And it's so FREEING. I hiked for an hour on my favorite trail the other day with a different friend. It was so nice.
Running can be about training plans and speedwork and racing and chasing PR's. But it can also be about running just for fun and good health, even racing just for fun and the experience, spending time with good friends, and enjoying time in the outdoors. How did I forget that?
In the past 24 months, I have set new PR's at every distance: 1 mile, 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon. I think it is time to change the focus.
My NEW/REVISED goals for 2013
This year, I want to have FUN as a runner. I'm going to slowly rebuild my base and heal my ankle and try not to care how slow I run or compare myself to others. I'm going to crosstrain with hiking and spinning. I'm going to strength train and do some interval training (non-running and occasionally running). I'm going to do some races for fun and the experience. I think I'm going to be more "experience-focused" rather than "results focused."
That is all.
The more I've run these last few of weeks, the more I've tried to get my speed back, the more I've tried to hang on to a 7-mile long run, the MORE my ankle has hurt. It hurt day and night. It hurt going down steps or simply walking. It hurt for the first 1.5 miles of any run (previously it only hurt about the first half mile). Recovery definitely took two steps back. I wound up having to take a solid 6 days off from running. I hiked, I strength trained, I spun (spinned? cycled?), I rested.
And it felt so much better! Only 6 days off netted great improvement. I started back on Wednesday with a slow, gentle 3-mile treadmill run on an incline of 2-3. It feels best on an incline, rather than a flat. An incline reduces impact and shortens my stride. It was an embarrassingly slow pace I won't post here, but it was a comfortable pace that didn't HURT. That's one step in the RIGHT DIRECTION. Then a 1.5 mile treadmill run and a .5 walk afterwards on Thursday. Finally, a two mile run on a track without a watch and an estimated one-mile walk around campus with a friend in gorgeous 70-degree and sunny weather. (In January!!) It was so enjoyable to not care how fast we were going, to run pain free, and to spend time with a friend. Ahhh, I had forgotten about this aspect of training. Then a couple hours later I spun (spinned? cycled?) 4 miles including a Tabata interval. Friday was my "long" day.
It is a little sore today after 3 days of activity, so I'm going to rest. I'm going to rest from running for at least 2-3 days. On Sunday afternoon, I plan to spin.
This is the kind of runner I was talking about two or three posts ago. I'm just rebuilding and trying to get healthy. I've let all concern of pace and distance go. And it's so FREEING. I hiked for an hour on my favorite trail the other day with a different friend. It was so nice.
Running can be about training plans and speedwork and racing and chasing PR's. But it can also be about running just for fun and good health, even racing just for fun and the experience, spending time with good friends, and enjoying time in the outdoors. How did I forget that?
In the past 24 months, I have set new PR's at every distance: 1 mile, 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon. I think it is time to change the focus.
My NEW/REVISED goals for 2013
This year, I want to have FUN as a runner. I'm going to slowly rebuild my base and heal my ankle and try not to care how slow I run or compare myself to others. I'm going to crosstrain with hiking and spinning. I'm going to strength train and do some interval training (non-running and occasionally running). I'm going to do some races for fun and the experience. I think I'm going to be more "experience-focused" rather than "results focused."
That is all.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2013 Goals
This is the first year in a long time that I have more non-running goals/resolutions than running ones. But since this is a running blog, I won't bore anyone with the non-running ones.
In 2012, I had two goals: Break 2:05 in a half marathon and break 27 in a 5K. I didn't do either. I missed both by just seconds though. I guess those two will carry over.
I *hope* to do the following in 2013:
1. Get this ankle healthy. Right now, it still hurts every day. I need to train smart over the next month by running limited mileage on soft surfaces when possible.
2. Crosstrain more. I love hiking on the trails (a little scared to run on trails right now with that weak ankle) and cycling on a stationary bike. There is something so fun about putting in some good music and tuning out the world on the stationary bike at the Y. Some days, I may only do 15-20 minutes of high-intensity intervals on the bike, some days I may ride for 45-60 minutes. It's also a great time to read. I hope to Crosstrain 1 - 2 days per week.
3. HIIT. I am going to make sure to include some high-intensity-interval training both in running and cycling or cross-training as well as strength training. It will help that I am teaching a Tuesday morning Cardio Circuit class! I will plan 1/2 the class as HIIT and the other half as strength work.
4. Strength train 2 X a week. I am still waiting for my ankle and wrist to be 100% before seriously pursuing a Crossfit gym. I am starting Crossfit lite on my own though. I am sore today and it feels good! Weirdly, I missed that feeling. Again, since I'm teaching a class at the Y, this should be easily attained.
5. Run more quality miles. I am starting a new part-time job plus my old part-time job at the Y and three kids. I don't have all day to run anymore. I am going to try less quantity and more quality. Honestly, quantity didn't get me to my goals this year. (Except for the marathon PR.)
6. Run a marathon for FUN. I don't want to put in any 20 milers, I want to maybe train up to two or three 16 milers and maybe one 18 and Galloway a marathon. I've done it once before in 5:09 at the Hatfield-McCoy. I'm looking at the Flying Pig Marathon in May to keep my streak of flying animal races alive. There are some other fun summer ones I might consider as well.
7. Break 2:05 in a half marathon. Someday, I want to break 2 hours. But first, break 2:05. I think the focus race is going to be the Murray Half Marathon in Kentucky on April 13. Training will start SOON.
8. Break that darn 27:00 barrier in a 5K. I think the interval training will get me there. My PR is 27:00. I have a long way to go to get back down to the 27-minute range though. My speed has suffered with the ankle recovery.
9. Take another shot at the Flying Monkey. I'd like to beat my 5:03 sprained-ankle time and finish uninjured. So, my first somewhat serious marathon won't be until November. (Unless I change my mind.) I don't mind running marathons. I just don't like all the LONG, boring runs in training.
10. Do more local races. There are several I've always wanted to do, but haven't. My 2nd part-time job will pay for race fees!
In 2012, I had two goals: Break 2:05 in a half marathon and break 27 in a 5K. I didn't do either. I missed both by just seconds though. I guess those two will carry over.
I *hope* to do the following in 2013:
1. Get this ankle healthy. Right now, it still hurts every day. I need to train smart over the next month by running limited mileage on soft surfaces when possible.
2. Crosstrain more. I love hiking on the trails (a little scared to run on trails right now with that weak ankle) and cycling on a stationary bike. There is something so fun about putting in some good music and tuning out the world on the stationary bike at the Y. Some days, I may only do 15-20 minutes of high-intensity intervals on the bike, some days I may ride for 45-60 minutes. It's also a great time to read. I hope to Crosstrain 1 - 2 days per week.
3. HIIT. I am going to make sure to include some high-intensity-interval training both in running and cycling or cross-training as well as strength training. It will help that I am teaching a Tuesday morning Cardio Circuit class! I will plan 1/2 the class as HIIT and the other half as strength work.
4. Strength train 2 X a week. I am still waiting for my ankle and wrist to be 100% before seriously pursuing a Crossfit gym. I am starting Crossfit lite on my own though. I am sore today and it feels good! Weirdly, I missed that feeling. Again, since I'm teaching a class at the Y, this should be easily attained.
5. Run more quality miles. I am starting a new part-time job plus my old part-time job at the Y and three kids. I don't have all day to run anymore. I am going to try less quantity and more quality. Honestly, quantity didn't get me to my goals this year. (Except for the marathon PR.)
6. Run a marathon for FUN. I don't want to put in any 20 milers, I want to maybe train up to two or three 16 milers and maybe one 18 and Galloway a marathon. I've done it once before in 5:09 at the Hatfield-McCoy. I'm looking at the Flying Pig Marathon in May to keep my streak of flying animal races alive. There are some other fun summer ones I might consider as well.
7. Break 2:05 in a half marathon. Someday, I want to break 2 hours. But first, break 2:05. I think the focus race is going to be the Murray Half Marathon in Kentucky on April 13. Training will start SOON.
8. Break that darn 27:00 barrier in a 5K. I think the interval training will get me there. My PR is 27:00. I have a long way to go to get back down to the 27-minute range though. My speed has suffered with the ankle recovery.
9. Take another shot at the Flying Monkey. I'd like to beat my 5:03 sprained-ankle time and finish uninjured. So, my first somewhat serious marathon won't be until November. (Unless I change my mind.) I don't mind running marathons. I just don't like all the LONG, boring runs in training.
10. Do more local races. There are several I've always wanted to do, but haven't. My 2nd part-time job will pay for race fees!
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